Kidnap gang has been captured by operatives of the anti-kidnapping unit of the Rivers State Police Command for allegedly hanging one Mr Ereba Dinabari on a tree till he died after collecting N1 million ransom for his release.
The suspects, Osundu Uchendu, aged 25, and Amebulem Amos, aged 23, were arrested during a follow-up operation on Dinabari’s abduction, which occurred at Woji in Port Harcourt on May 15, this year.
The operatives traced the suspects to Okrika Local Government Area of the state, where they were hiding. It was gathered that the victim was killed following a misunderstanding between the gang leader and his members who felt the victim failed to pay the agreed ransom, not knowing that the leader had already collected the money.
Dinabari was kept in the forest for five days and on the fifth day, the gang hung him on a tree in a forest at Alesa, Eleme Local Government Area of the state, where he died and his body decomposed.
The confessions of the two suspects led police operatives to the forest where the victim was killed. When operatives of the anti-kidnapping unit and the Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, were led into the forest yesterday by the suspects, the victim’s decomposing body was found tied to a tree while the skull was seen on the ground.
Admitting to the crime, Uchendu said: “Our Oga called us that there is someone he knew we need to go after and when we kidnapped him, he agreed to pay us, but after some days, we didn’t see the money. So, that brought misunderstanding between us and the man because we felt he was deceiving us.
“He was trying to be smart, so we got angry on the fifth day and tied him to the tree until he died and his body decomposed. I located the thick forest when I came to search for work around here,” he added.
Meanwhile, the elder brother to the deceased, George Deekor, said his younger brother was coming from the hospital where the sister gave birth before he was kidnapped.
Deekor explained further that the kidnappers after collecting N1 million ransom from the family could not release him, only for the family to realize through Police investigation that he was gruesomely murdered and tied to a tree in a forest at Eleme.
Late Ereba was said to be a sachet water producer and distributor.
The Eleme Council Chairman, Philip Okparaji, expressed shock and condemned the kidnap and killing of Dinabari Ereba.
Okparaji, while condemning the act warned hoodlums and criminals never to use Eleme land to perpetrate their heinous crime as the Council authority was out to smoke out all criminals from the area.
He condoled with the family of the deceased and commended Rivers State Police Command for living up to its responsibilities.
He stressed his administration’s preparedness to continue to collaborate with security agencies to give the people of Eleme a new lease of life which has led to the recent establishment and equipping of Volunteer Vigilante group in the area to help give useful information to security agencies towards securing the LGA.
Speaking with newsmen, The PPRO Officer, Omoni said that the deadly gang was arrested in the cause of investigation into the kidnap of Dinabari.
“The confessions of the suspects led the operatives to a forest at Alesa in Eleme LGA, where the victim’s decomposing body was found tied to a tree. The Toyota Camry (spider) car belonging to the victim was recovered.
“The suspects have confessed to having carried out several many around Woji, Abuloma, Peter Odili Road and Eleme communities. An investigation is still ongoing and they will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”
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